8 ms·

See how a lab-grown diamond is made

87 points by mzs 2y ago

bookofjoe 2y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42292956 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42292956
- BtM909 2y ago
  You're linking to a submission that links back to this one :)
simonebrunozzi 2y ago
Obligatory reference: [0]: have you ever tried to sell a diamond? (1982) [0]: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-you-ever-tried-to-sell-a-diamond/304575/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-yo...
briandepalma178 2y ago
[dead]
mverv 2y ago
Great visual story. It would have been cool if they had also included the High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) method, which is closer to how diamonds are naturally formed. However, I imagine it would have been harder to "show".
- Animats 2y ago
  Here's the high pressure, high temperature process, in China.[1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkMkcetAiV4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkMkcetAiV4
shahzaibmushtaq 2y ago
So, lab-grown diamonds are like broiler chickens but with the same care and go through the same process as natural diamonds.
- TuringTourist 2y ago
  Well the process isn't quite the same, they are missing the immense value-add of substantial human suffering in their creation.
  - marricks 2y ago
    And, most importantly, the artificial scarcity imposed by a single company.
    - Muromec 2y ago
      Which is the actual product.
  - shahzaibmushtaq 2y ago
    I was referring to the refining process, not the mining process.
  - rvnx 2y ago
    and also lab-grown diamonds have a different reaction to light. Natural diamonds typically emit blue fluorescence, while some lab-grown diamonds may show stronger, inconsistent, or different colors (e.g., orange, green, or yellow). After turning off the UV light, observe if the diamond continues to glow (phosphorescence), natural diamonds don't.
    - red_trumpet 2y ago
      > the diamond continues to glow (phosphorescence), natural diamonds don't. Except some famous natural ones, like the Hope Diamond[1] do show phosphorescence. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Diamond https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Diamond
      - rvnx 2y ago
        Wow thanks!
mkagenius 2y ago
https://archive.ph/s1LpZ https://archive.ph/s1LpZ
magic_hamster 2y ago
Diamonds are possibly the biggest scam in human history. Supply and price controlled by a single entity and a marketing campaign to buy a diamond ring for your marriage proposal, which has turned into a worldwide norm. Did you know that before this, people didn't propose with rings whatsoever? Diamonds are pretty, but if you participate in this industry, you've been taken advantage of.
- cjbgkagh 2y ago
  Not even close on the biggest scam in human history, AFAIK their peak revenue was < $10B which wouldn't edge out binary auction scams which are over $10B p.a. And that's an example of a pure scam - how much of modern healthcare / insurance is a scam. If we are to take a less dysfunctional country which has better health outcomes for less money as a baseline I'd say at least 50% of US healthcare is a scam. So half of $4.5T p.a. What about doomed pyramid schemes like Social Security - currently running at $1.35T p.a. Or the fractional reserve banking system etc...
- YetAnotherNick 2y ago
  How's it different than brands. People have been paying orders of magnitude more if the product came from a brand that they like.
- ipsum2 2y ago
  Synthetic diamonds, the topic of the post, aren't controlled by De Beers. From the article: > The Washington Post visited Austin-based Clarity Diamond, one of the few companies to make lab diamonds in the United States.
  - paxys 2y ago
    And De Beers is spending lots of money to try and turn the public against them. Here's a random De Beers ad campaign touting the supremacy of "natural diamonds" – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlapaTCpa78 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlapaTCpa78 > 'Worth the Wait' is a fresh, authentic campaign connecting the journeys of ‘Zillennial’ couples who are leading the engagement recovery. The campaign captures the incredible journey that natural diamonds take as the ultimate symbols of modern love.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

87 points by mzs 2y ago

bookofjoe 2y ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42292956 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42292956

BtM909 2y ago
You're linking to a submission that links back to this one :)

simonebrunozzi 2y ago

Obligatory reference: [0]: have you ever tried to sell a diamond? (1982) [0]: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-you-ever-tried-to-sell-a-diamond/304575/ https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-yo...

briandepalma178 2y ago

[dead]

mverv 2y ago

Great visual story. It would have been cool if they had also included the High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) method, which is closer to how diamonds are naturally formed. However, I imagine it would have been harder to "show".

Animats 2y ago
Here's the high pressure, high temperature process, in China.[1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkMkcetAiV4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkMkcetAiV4

shahzaibmushtaq 2y ago

So, lab-grown diamonds are like broiler chickens but with the same care and go through the same process as natural diamonds.

TuringTourist 2y ago
Well the process isn't quite the same, they are missing the immense value-add of substantial human suffering in their creation.
- marricks 2y ago
  And, most importantly, the artificial scarcity imposed by a single company.
  - Muromec 2y ago
    Which is the actual product.
- shahzaibmushtaq 2y ago
  I was referring to the refining process, not the mining process.
- rvnx 2y ago
  and also lab-grown diamonds have a different reaction to light. Natural diamonds typically emit blue fluorescence, while some lab-grown diamonds may show stronger, inconsistent, or different colors (e.g., orange, green, or yellow). After turning off the UV light, observe if the diamond continues to glow (phosphorescence), natural diamonds don't.
  - red_trumpet 2y ago
    > the diamond continues to glow (phosphorescence), natural diamonds don't. Except some famous natural ones, like the Hope Diamond[1] do show phosphorescence. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Diamond https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Diamond
    - rvnx 2y ago
      Wow thanks!

mkagenius 2y ago

https://archive.ph/s1LpZ https://archive.ph/s1LpZ

magic_hamster 2y ago

Diamonds are possibly the biggest scam in human history. Supply and price controlled by a single entity and a marketing campaign to buy a diamond ring for your marriage proposal, which has turned into a worldwide norm. Did you know that before this, people didn't propose with rings whatsoever? Diamonds are pretty, but if you participate in this industry, you've been taken advantage of.

cjbgkagh 2y ago
Not even close on the biggest scam in human history, AFAIK their peak revenue was < $10B which wouldn't edge out binary auction scams which are over $10B p.a. And that's an example of a pure scam - how much of modern healthcare / insurance is a scam. If we are to take a less dysfunctional country which has better health outcomes for less money as a baseline I'd say at least 50% of US healthcare is a scam. So half of $4.5T p.a. What about doomed pyramid schemes like Social Security - currently running at $1.35T p.a. Or the fractional reserve banking system etc...
YetAnotherNick 2y ago
How's it different than brands. People have been paying orders of magnitude more if the product came from a brand that they like.
ipsum2 2y ago
Synthetic diamonds, the topic of the post, aren't controlled by De Beers. From the article: > The Washington Post visited Austin-based Clarity Diamond, one of the few companies to make lab diamonds in the United States.
- paxys 2y ago
  And De Beers is spending lots of money to try and turn the public against them. Here's a random De Beers ad campaign touting the supremacy of "natural diamonds" – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlapaTCpa78 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlapaTCpa78 > 'Worth the Wait' is a fresh, authentic campaign connecting the journeys of ‘Zillennial’ couples who are leading the engagement recovery. The campaign captures the incredible journey that natural diamonds take as the ultimate symbols of modern love.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]